Many streamers and viewers have asked how to execute a subathon on Twitch ever since Ludwig, a well-known Twitch streamer, streamed one a few months ago. However, as fun as a subathon sounds, some scary aspects make the streamers avoid doing them in the first place.
To counter these scary bits of the subathon and to keep the streamers or viewers from getting bullied, there are some regulations and rules.
If you are a small streamer beginning to gain some audience, you may have been getting requests to do a subathon of your own. The lengthy timer that keeps increasing with each sub is one of that aspects. Along with that, people can now exploit you by making the stream continue endlessly by making further donations.
Let’s see how to set up subathon rules, and how they work on Twitch.
How to Keep Myself In Check During a Subathon?
To keep yourself in check during a subathon, make sure to get enough sleep, be physically active, and eat proper meals during your live streams, if you do not follow these necessities, you’re going to harm your health.
You should ensure to get pre-prepared meals or takeout during their subathon streams. If you have the resources, you can host an intermission cooking broadcast and set up a secondary stream site in your kitchen.
You’ll need to get some rest if you’re conducting a multi-day stream. The majority of streamers place a bed in the back of their stream space and doze off live on camera. You can play music or have your moderators chat all night long to keep your visitors interested while you sleep.
To keep yourself physically fit, you can even stream while taking a walk or jogging around the neighborhood park.
Even though subathons can be beneficial for your channel, they can also be mentally and physically taxing. Your health depends on food, water, exercise, and sleep.
If you neglect any of them, not only will you feel miserable while streaming, but your stream’s content will also suffer.
» Read my blog post: Is Twitch Free? (For Viewers)
How Can I Stay Motivated to Continue During a Subathon?
Losing the desire to continue streaming is a common experience for subathon streamers. To avoid burning out or getting demotivated, you can do the following:
- Plan out your subathon before you start streaming because this is typically when you run out of things to do.
- Avoid doing activities that you are not passionate about; try playing games that you are good at instead of playing games that you don’t prefer just because of peer pressure.
- Decide where you’re going to stream first, then use your chosen streaming service if you already have one. Twitch, YouTube, or Facebook are all excellent choices if you’re not sure where to stream.
- A subathon timer should also be installed. A timer allows you to control how much time each sub adds to the total duration and to specify the maximum time that can be reached. This timer will not only help you stay in check, but it will also roughly indicate to your readers when they should subscribe.
How To Set Up Subathon Rules?
There is a simple criterion that governs different streamers’ subathons. Every streamer sets their own rules that cater to their comfort.
Streamers like Ludwig usually get ready to fall asleep while streaming at the beginning of this, and they have done it several times for the duration of their subathon.
You need to see what suits you best for your subathons; you can either time your subathon instead of holding uncapped subathons to avoid live streaming for days.
» Read my blog post about: Is It Hard To Get 100 Followers on Twitch?
What are Normal Rules Every Subathon Must Have?
#1 For Every X Amount of Subs, the Stream Gets X Seconds/Minutes Longer
When people subscribe, gift a sub, cheer with bits, or donate, they can add a specific amount of time to your stream timer for that subathon.
When someone subscribes, you often establish a minimum time limit for your stream, say 4 hours, and then you add seconds or minutes to your timer as appropriate.
A total of 4 hours and 50 minutes will be spent streaming if each subscriber adds 5 minutes to your timer and you had 10 during the stream.
#2 Different Rules for Different Amounts of Donations
You will also be adding time for all other supporting activities, such as merchandise sales, losses from special events, and channel point targets.
Therefore, even if you are unable to contribute by giving subscribers, any contribution (including using your free channel points) will be recorded and added to the stream’s timer.
#3 Rules Under Twitch’s TOS
Ludwig’s subathon, although a very civil one, also gets lots of backlash and hate.
Ludwig got more than enough sleep, kept on with his personal life by taking breaks from the stream to cook or get groceries, and even had his popular content creator friends take over his stream in his place.
In a way, Ludwig’s idea does make sense. He did several things that didn’t fall in the spectrum of Twitch regulations. So he got plenty of hate for that, but his connections with Twitch staff allowed him to keep streaming.
That’s the problem, though; small streamers and even some big streamers don’t have relationships with Twitch staff members that they can use to get out of troublesome situations during a subathon.
This is why having rules per Twitch’s terms of service (TOS) can go a long way toward having a reliable subathon.
Do Subathon Rules Also Apply to the Viewers?
The regulations of the subathon are intended to apply to both streamers and watchers. These guidelines prevent the stream from getting out of hand and enable a tough subathon as opposed to a dull one.
If small streamers have established appropriate regulations that are compatible with the community they have formed, they are likely to get several new viewers.
For instance, if you need to use text-to-speech for donations, you may have to set a restriction for viewers that they can’t play anything for more than 10 seconds without incurring a temporary timeout or ban, or your stream timer might be extended by 2 to 5 minutes.
» You can also read my post: How to Do a Subathon on Twitch?
What Happens If a Twitch TOS is Violated During a Subathon?
Streamers now have to deal with the consequences when they disobey the rules. When one of the “major streamers” plays or displays content that could be removed for copyright violations, Twitch occasionally slaps a legal action.
A subathon’s unpredictability makes it an excellent way for Twitch streamers to garner popularity. When their subathons first began, streamers like S0mcs or Itztimmy could not keep up with everything happening.
However, that is not the worst-case scenario because that only happens when Twitch’s terms of service are broken. Rules like watching any content that you didn’t create or listening to songs with DMCA copyrights could make you liable for harm to Twitch.
It’s always a good idea to be aware of Twitch’s TOS and have regulations set in a way that these laws aren’t broken, as various subathons have been shut down, and the streamers have been blacklisted for breaking them.
Conclusion
Subathon is a novel idea that is bringing new challenges and enjoyment to the streaming industry. Every streamer, big or small, is preparing for a subathon to increase their following and set records.
Ideally, you might be aware of how a subathon works, how to participate in one on Twitch, and what kind of rules you will be needing to set up. I hope this article helps you.
